Jason Kenney invited to Calgary Pride by k.d. lang but spokesman says he's busy

k.d. lang waves to the crowd after receiving a Juno for her Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction during the 2013 Juno Awards in Regina on Sunday, April 21, 2013. (Derek Mortensen/The Canadian Press)

CALGARY -- Alberta crooner k.d. lang has invited Jason Kenney to Calgary's Pride festivities -- but it appears he won't be attending.

The country singer took to Twitter on Tuesday to offer Kenney -- a leadership candidate for the province's new United Conservative Party -- free tickets to a concert if he'd sit down and discuss LGBTQ rights with her.

Lang's offer followed a tweet from blogger Mike Morrison, who also invited Kenney on Twitter to attend Pride.

It all stemmed from a statement Kenney's spokeswoman, Annie Dormuth, issued Monday, saying he would skip the annual parade because he wasn't invited.

In response to lang's invitation, another spokesman, Blaise Boehmer, tweeted that Kenney was "100 per cent focused" on the leadership campaign and had a "packed week meeting with members."

In Edmonton on Wednesday, Alberta deputy premier Sarah Hoffman encouraged Kenney to meet with lang.

"I think she probably would be able to help him learn a few things," Hoffman told reporters at the legislature.

While lang and Morrison urged Kenney to attend, parade organizers made it clear on the weekend that the United Conservative Party was not welcome because the party doesn't have a clear stance on sexual diversity issues.

The United Conservative Party was created last month after members of the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties voted overwhelmingly to join forces. A new leader is to be picked in October.

Leadership candidate Brian Jean said he hoped Pride organizers would reconsider, noting he had asked to march in the parade and has always championed diversity and tolerance. Jean's campaign organizers said he might try to attend as a spectator.

Others affiliated with the party have said they expect to attend as spectators, too, including interim leader Nathan Cooper, and leadership candidates Doug Schweitzer and Jeff Callaway.

Both the PCs and Wildrose have had strained relationships with the LGBTQ community.

The PCs faced a backlash in government over their handling of gay-straight alliances before passing legislation acceptable to all sides in early 2015.

Kenney has had an especially fractious relationship with the LGBTQ community, drawing criticism for urging that parents, in some circumstances, be told if their children attend a gay-straight alliance group. Critics say that could out kids before they are ready and put them at risk of family estrangement or worse.

Calgary Pride begins Friday and ends Sept. 4. The marquee parade will be held Sept 3.